Late Sunday night, news began flowing from Panama that Canada defeated Mexico 8-4 and advanced to the final of the Olympic Qualifier. By making it into the final, Canada earned a top two finish and a spot in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Dorchester, Canada, native and Illinois sophomore catcher Chris Robinson did not wait up for the news, but went to his computer early Monday morning.

"I woke up the next morning and I checked," Robinson said. "It was the first thing I saw and I was pretty excited about that."

Robinson competed in two international baseball competitions for Canada this year.

In the July competition, Robinson played with three members of the Canada's Olympic Qualifier team. Canada lost in the final to Cuba by a 4-0 score. Taking home the silver medal did not hurt too many egos, because the game that mattered to the Canadian team was the semifinal.

Winning the semifinal game and advancing to the final of the Olympic Qualifier earned Canada its first Olympic berth in baseball since the 1988 Seoul Olympics. In 1988, the Olympics had not yet made baseball a medal sport.

"The talk across our country is already high in just the two-day period," said Jim Babba, Director General of Baseball Canada. "Now, we've got a lot of work ahead of us to decide who's going to play for us."

Babba coached Robinson on the Canadian team in July that advanced to the International Baseball Federation World Cup that took place in Cuba from Oct. 12-26. Babba said Robinson could earn a spot on the Canadian team when they compete in the 27th Summer Olympics beginning Aug. 15.

"The catching scenario we'll have to play what's available," Babba said. "I wouldn't say he'd step ahead of some guys on the pro charts, but it all depends on the catchers' availability. He might be on the depth chart.

"Right now, I would see other people ahead of him."

Major League Baseball players will not be eligible to compete in next August's Olympics. Three guys on the roster for the Olympic Qualifier held major league roster spots last season, including Canada's starting catcher Pierre-Luc Laforest, who played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last season.

Five other guys played triple A baseball last summer and could earn a major league roster spot by next August. Robinson is not holding his breath expecting to receive a trip to Athens next summer.

"They'll probably take guys that are in the minor leagues, I would assume," Robinson said. "That's the best chance for them. I don't think they'll get into the college guys at all, but it'd be nice."